interested in STEAM so....what is your favorite thing?

hey im interested in steam what is your(whoever has it) favorite thing about it? But my number one question friends does this thing have anything related to DRM(crossing my fingers that it doesnt) thanks in advance.


Also i just thought about something in online games such as call of duty 4 do you use activision/infinity Wards online service/servers or do you play online against other people who are playing online via STEAM

 

Steam basically is DRM. The nice thing about it is that it's a healthy compromise between the kind of security publishers want and the freedom consumers want. It's not just a set of limitations shackled onto a game, they offer some flexibility and utility in exchange.

My favorite thing is probably the online store, though. Their prices are VERY competitive with retail and on weekends they have deals that range from decent to mindbogglingly good. Being able to watch Zero Punctuation's review of "Painkiller" and then promptly go buy it on Steam for $10 was convenient.

Beyond that, having the games tied to a single Steam account has actually proven invaluable. I have three computers, so being able to install Steam on all of them and just download the games I own directly to them off of Steam is convenient. You can't log in on two machines at the same time, and that's fair enough, given that they expect your login to go with you anyhow. I don't need to play HL2 on three computers simultaneously, just one is fine.

 

wow painkiller for that cheap? sounds great. Thank you sir for the very indepth answer i appreciate it, but the last thing with DRM i have to ask, i know what DRM is but you dont think that it actually monitors things you do on your computer like burn DVD's(not related to STEAM) or download free music do you? Because im not sure if its DRM or that SERUCOM Crap but i heard about a program that monitors things you are doing on your computer and reporting it to higher ups(i dont know like computer spys or a shadow government )

 

Steam doesn't monitor anything. The DRM component of it is the games themselves being locked into the Steam application. You have to run Steam to run games attached to it/bought through it.

 

This isn't like the stuff Sony tried to pull on everyone where it downloaded root-kits and DRM monitors. Steam is virus free, etc, etc, etc. Give it a try.

 

wait...what did sony try to pull on everyone?

 

Sony installed a root kit on every computer that used a sony dvd or cd to burn data. Basically you had to agree to something and then it loaded a rootkit which was not removable until a long time after it was a realized exploit. It was installed on such a low level that even the best malware apps couldnt help you, and on top of that all you had to do was label your 1980's virus with a $ at the beginning and end and it was able to infect and ruin your system in 2006. It was a huge deal and burned sony pretty bad.

 

My favorite thing about Steam is that it will not let me play Half Life 2 without first downloading and installing all the updates for it, which is nigh impossible on my crappy, 1995-slow, constantly disconnecting Afghani internet.

So yeah, had HL2 for ~6 months now, and haven't even played it.

 

thanks all for the help yeah i heard about the updates that it automatically applies to the game, pretty neat but one thing that me and a friend were discussing in any way are these games watered down? Like for example can you not put the resolution on the highest or cannot see the game to highest graphical power im sure the answer is yes you can do anythting a retail version does but id be interested in hearing about it from someone who uses STEAM.


OH also no one answered this from my first post:

"Also i just thought about something in online games such as call of duty 4 do you use activision/infinity Wards online service/servers or do you play online against other people who are playing online via STEAM"

 

The games are in no way watered down. I've been able to crank up everything I've bought on it.

CoD4 would still use Infinity Ward's servers.

 

Steam has very non-intrusive DRM. Games released on Steam have all the same capabilities as retail versions along with the added benefit of always being automatically updated. In many cases games include the manual in a pdf form that you can access by right clicking the game in your games tab and pressing "view player manual."

COD4 uses Infinity Ward's servers no matter what system you use (Steam, Retail, Direct2Drive, etc). Publishers have the option of including Steam server browser support to their games, but not all games implement it.

Prices are amazing, the community features are great, and the ability to backup your games is also welcome. While only a single computer can be actively logged into your Steam account at one times, you can still run Steam on as many computers as you like playing any single player games. In other words, with one account you can only have one computer playing a multiplayer Steam game such as Team Fortress 2, but with the same account you can have all of your friends playing multiplayer Titan Quest or TF2 on a LAN at the same time. One of the other people could even play Warhammer 40K Dawn of War single player mode on that same account at the same time.

Steam is VERY flexible. (oh lala)

 

thanks storm and pulp, +1 for the both of you i've downloaded steam and have prey and it is a kick *** game!

 

What I love about Steam: It ties all your games to your account, so there's no need to bother about CDs and CD-Keys. All you need is the Steam platform and your login information.